…that will satisfy the Unionist parties. Last night Ruth Davidson told STV viewers that even getting more than 50% of the vote in a general election wouldn’t give the SNP a mandate to pursue their manifesto policies.
She was echoing the words of Kezia Dugdale just over a year ago:
So that’s clear. Davidson has reversed her previous view. There is now no peaceful democratic avenue by which the people of Scotland could express the wish for a second referendum which the two main Unionist parties would accept. They have EXPLICITLY said, in full public view, that they would reject any democratic mandate.
She’d insisted explicitly several times that a Jeremy Corbyn administration WOULD block a new indyref, even after being shown a video clip of Corbyn from earlier in the day saying he wouldn’t, and she repeatedly urged readers not to listen to the party’s leader and to instead go and look at the Labour manifesto.
Today’s Daily Record has a swipe at Jeremy Corbyn for, well, let’s call them “mixed messages” over a second independence referendum. It suggests his Scottish branch manager Kezia Dugdale would have “her head in her hands” over his latest comments, which is a bit rich considering Dugdale’s own history on the subject.
And since her headline boast when she took over as leader of the North British office was that people would know exactly what Labour stood for (and indeed she spent all of the weekend’s keynote Sunday Politics interview listing all the things she’d been very very clear about), we thought we’d have a recap and see how that was going.
Apologies in advance about this, folks, but it’s driving us mad. We got into a Twitter argument with some Tory balloon last night and this morning, and to cut a long story short it got us looking at the 1951 UK general election result.
History records it as a Tory majority, securing just over half of the Parliamentary seats (321 of 625) and forming the government under Winston Churchill despite narrowly losing the popular vote to Labour (48% to 48.8%).
But if you examine the result in the House Of Commons Library the numbers don’t add up, and we can’t figure out why.
Tremendous news for the rest of Scotland’s football clubs as Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers promises never to win the treble unbeaten again, even if his side score more goals than the other team in all their matches.
…is roughly how often Aberdeen get to the final of the Scottish Cup these days. The last time was 17 years ago – a tournament which started in the last century and ended the year Rangers started paying their players with EBTs – when SFA rules meant that they had to play almost the entire game without a recognised goalkeeper.
(A tackle in the third minute broke veteran custodian Jim Leighton’s jaw, and because you were only allowed three players on the subs bench the Dons had no backup No.1 and had to put striker Robbie Winters between the sticks, with a predictable outcome. Leighton never played professional football again.)
In politics, Labour were only one year into the first ever administration of the modern Scottish Parliament, and still in the first term of Tony Blair’s rule at Westminster. The idea of the SNP winning an election, let alone holding an independence referendum, was the preserve of mad fantasists.
And the last time the Pittodrie side actually won the trophy was 27 years back, which is so long ago that most of Hampden was still open to the elements.
Still, it would be weird if we got to the final again next year and some of the Aberdeen support refused to go on the grounds that the matter of who was the best cup football team in Scotland had been settled forever today.
Or if Celtic won but had fielded an ineligible player and the SFA ordered a replay, but the Dons declined to take part because they’d played too many finals recently.
We hadn’t been planning to talk any more about the curious case of Claire Austin, the suddenly publicity-shy Edinburgh nurse who – how can we put this? – seemed a rather ill-chosen figurehead for the good cause of getting more pay for a group of people who are rightly well-regarded by the public.
But yesterday, the release of a letter from Scottish Labour branch manager Kezia Dugdale re-opened political hostilities after last week’s hiatus for the Manchester terror attack by shoving the now-reticent Ms Austin right back into the spotlight.
Politics is still on hiatus after the dreadful events of Manchester, so we’ve taken the chance to go and enjoy the sudden summer weather while nothing was happening.
And today, as we (“Drove at a legal speed” – Ed) across the pretty hills overlooking Bath in an inexpensive convertible, a song came on the stereo that made us think of all the Unionist trolls who were still busily raging on Twitter – mainly about the SNP’s awful failure to light up every building in Scotland with the Union Jack in tribute to the dead (no, really), but also at the most recent data “proving” that independence would mean the country regressing to the Stone Age and whatnot.
So we thought we’d share it with you, because as well as having a jaunty tune it’s got a good attitude to adopt when they’re screaming and yelling themselves red, white and blue in the face about something or other, rather than wasting your time and mental equilibrium on being dragged into their fetid mind-swamp.
It works on any day, even if you’re not in a sports car.
The spanking new issue of Viz, which is totally still a thing, is out today at all good newsagents. The cover promises a “FANTASTIC FREE VOTING AID” inside, and we thought you’d be at least mildly and fleetingly amused by the Scottish aspect. Of it.
Pop out to the shops and buy a Viz*, readers. (Or subscribe to try three issues for a mere £1.) It’s just as funny as it used to be but much less popular, so it’s cool again.
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*Wings Over Scotland has no connection to Viz or Dennis Publishing Ltd and has received no inducement for this endorsement. Although we’re open to offers.
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Cave dweller, There is a dossier lodged at the UN of R intelligence of exactly why they invaded. It was…” Mar 26, 12:11
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Geri – those women are risking arrest, and potentially death: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/24/iran-women-flouting-dress-code-hijab-laws Why do you think the Iranian women’s football team…” Mar 26, 11:53
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “@CC you’ll see below a long list of excuses from Geri as to why all of the appalling acts of…” Mar 26, 11:42
Captain Caveman on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Hahahah! Get a load of this everyone: “Geri” thinks murdering tens of thousands of innocent civilians by shooting them in…” Mar 26, 11:33
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “– American bases. Legitimate targets. That’s where they attacked from. They’ve a right to render them destroyed. – Targeting blow…” Mar 26, 11:09
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Sorry to break the news Northy. They were all hanged last Wednesday or was that the athletes. It’s hard to…” Mar 26, 10:57
Captain Caveman on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “@Aidan Well, quite. 🙂 Even if it is the case that the US has acted “illegally” in its war with…” Mar 26, 10:52
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Why don’t we all chip in and get Alison Johnston a big box of crayons for her/his/it’s retirement.” Mar 26, 10:44
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Would you just look at all those women & you girls not being dragged out & beaten for not wearing…” Mar 26, 10:37
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Nothing like a threat to the gravy boat to bring the Snats crawling out of the woodwork.” Mar 26, 10:37
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “For all the good it will do them. They would be as well to. Seriously. A big leap from the…” Mar 26, 10:35
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I tried to use words you could understand. I’m your conscious Geri. You know that nagging feeling somethings wrong. That…” Mar 26, 10:31
Red on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Are you not describing a catastrophe that culminated under two centuries ago, after a process stretching back over centuries?” No,…” Mar 26, 10:27
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Whereas I suppose; – Bombing the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman; – murdering your own citizens engaging in a peaceful…” Mar 26, 10:10
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “If the link below don’t work just search yatube for: “Real IRAN : What Western Media Won’t Tell You About…” Mar 26, 09:58
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I think you’re on the wrong forum. The Daily Fail is that way —— > You’ll find far more fannies…” Mar 26, 09:30
Cynicus on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Mark Beggan says: 25 March, 2026 at 11:32 pm “WOW! Just seen the SNP advert on Tube.” ======= Seriously? Is…” Mar 26, 09:10
Northcode on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: ““Areswipe…” A brilliant comment, Geri. Insightful, informed, and expertly decorated with ‘rude’. I never tire of reading your stuff.” Mar 26, 08:29
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Amongst the many reasons Nazi Germany lost the war was their policy on women. Unlike the allies German women were…” Mar 26, 08:20
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Leftwing ideology is the lunatics way of getting back at society. A nobody’s way to try and become become a…” Mar 26, 08:09
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Areswipe, Let’s remind the group this is an illegal war. Every single one of those attacks is a war crime.…” Mar 26, 08:08
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “What age are you. You spout like an angry teenager who has Just read animal farm. Scotlands very own Greta.…” Mar 26, 07:31
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Having your entire leadership wiped out, your navy destroyed, your army weakened severely and significant damage to your oil exporting…” Mar 26, 06:39
Aidan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “I’d be surprised if 4% of people earn over £100k in Scotland, I’d suggest it’s probably lower than that. But…” Mar 26, 06:27
twathater on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Geri your demolition of the yoonionists on here is something to behold , so much so that Corporal Cave dweller…” Mar 26, 03:41
Cynicus on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Red says: 25 March, 2026 at 5:20 pm “…the Scots will be reduced to a powerless, hated and poor minority…” Mar 26, 02:01
Anthem on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “What do you expect when it’s filled with English unionist parties?” Mar 26, 00:17
Geri on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “Not a bad ad. Punchy with facts & to the point. & TBF, yoons do have a low attention span.…” Mar 26, 00:17
Mark Beggan on Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off: “WOW! Just seen the SNP advert on Tube. Not a party political broadcast but an advert with very colourful and…” Mar 25, 23:32
